


Pawn Promotion

by stingraysmiley



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Emotional Manipulation, G L A T T - Freeform, Gen, Ghost Jschlatt (Video Blogging RPF), Hurt/Comfort, I hate tagging so much, President Tommyinnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo Has a Bad Time, techno tubbo fwiendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:54:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29655084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stingraysmiley/pseuds/stingraysmiley
Summary: What if Tommy accepted the presidency? What if Tubbo was the one who was exiled?so uh kinda a roleswap ig.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 85





	1. landlord pog?

Today was the day.

Three days ago Dream had given Tommy, the president of new L’Manberg, an ultimatum. Either exile Tubbo or Dream reclaims half of L’Manberg’s land.

It was an honest mistake on Tubbo’s part. It really was. He’d been experimenting with teleportation on ravagers. He’d been up for a few days straight and got reckless. Without taking necessary precautions, he pushed the button. The button was meant to teleport the ravager about 20 blocks north. However, because of Tubbo’s carelessness his calculations were off and the ravager was transported all the way to King George’s home. By the time Tubbo had realized what he had done, the mushroom house had already been decimated by the beast. 

Any attempts at negotiation with the masked man had been unsuccessful. As always, the man was stubborn and unwavering in his proposition.The cries of the cabinet members were ignored by the tyrant. Tubbo remembered staring into the crudely drawn smiley face as Dream completely denied Tommy and Tubbo of any chance of negotiation. As always, if Dream wants something, he’ll get it. 

Tommy, Fundy, Quackity, and Ranboo were all in agreement, land was not worth more than a person.

The short boy blinks away the memories and returns to the present. Tubbo and the rest of the cabinet were shrouded in the shadow cast by Dream from atop the obsidian wall. Despite clearly seeing them, Dream remained silent and unmoving.

Becoming impatient, they decided to come directly to him.Tommy climbed up the wall first. Despite the immense pressure put on him, he still had just as much excess energy as usual. Fundy went next. Then Quackity. Then Ranboo. Tubbo went to follow the others up the wall, but he struggled. He couldn't reach the groove that helped the others climb up. Suddenly, the glare from the sun was gone and in its place was a smirking Tommy. He threw out his hand to help his shorter friend and pulled the other one up. Tubbo stumbled as both his feet reached the top of the wall. Despite not needing help anymore, Tubbo continued to hold the other’s hand. Tommy looked down to where their hands met, and the bandanas that both boys bore on their wrist were tangled together. Tommy gave one of his signature cackles and Tubbo simply basks in the laughter, almost forgetting about the tyrant watching them. Neither made a move to untangle the cloth, instead opting to keep their hands intertwined, relishing in the calm before what was sure to be a difficult conversation was had. Telling a control freak “no” and choosing the option they clearly didn't want you to choose was a recipe for disaster. 

Dream takes his hands out of his pockets, his posture calm, as if he were meeting an old friend. “Hey, Tommy”

“...Dream”

“I hope you’ve made your decision. I hope it's the  _ right _ decision, Mr.President”

Tubbo felt his hand get squeezed. He glanced to Tommy and saw sweat beginning to form on his forehead. Tommy audibly gulped down his fear then said, “oh ho ho, I have, you-you GREEN BITCH!” Dream tilts his head up slightly. “Are you mad? Of course we’re not exiling Tubbo, you fuckin’ psycho. Take your stupid land. We don't need it anyways. So just take your destroyed land and  _ leave my country _ ,  _ bitch _ .” scattered whoops from Fundy and Quackity could be heard. 

Dream was unreadable. Maybe he was disappointed? Maybe he was happy? It was hard to tell because of the mask. Maybe that was by design.

Dream waited for the cheers from the cabinet to settle before he spoke, “Alright then” Dream sighed, as if a weight were lifted from his shoulders, “glad we could come to an agreement.” Dream then stuck his hand out, palm facing upwards. 

After a moment of hesitance Tommy awkwardly maneuvered his one free hand to match Dream’s in an attempt to give a weird handshake, seemingly to seal their deal. The moment before Tommy’s flesh met Dream’s black gloves, the masked man pulled away with the quickness of a cheetah. 

“OY! WHAT THE HELL?!” Tommy yelled in anger and confusion.

Dream’s calm demeanor was replaced with the aura of confidence and absolute authority. “I want you to hand it over.”

It was like ice cold water had been poured on the L’Manbergians. Nothing was simple with Dream. 

Tommy scoffed in confusion “W-what? I  _ said _ you could take your goddamn land back.”

Dream chuckled a bit, but no humor was in the laughter. It was the laughter a parent would give to a child who got their letters of the alphabet mixed up. It was patronizing. “No,no no no! Oh, Tommy. To seal our agreement, I want you to give back what you  _ stole _ from me. I want Mellohi back.”

Everyone froze in shock. The discs. The most precious things on the server to a certain president.

“THA-THAT WASN'T A PART OF OUR DEAL!” Tommy spat, enraged. Tommy threw both of his hands up in frustration, in doing so he separated his and Tubbo’s hand, and the intertwined bandanas were accidentally slipped of Tubbo’s wrist and were now both attached to Tommy.

Dream said nothing.

“YOU CAN'T JUST- ARGH! YOU CAN'T JUST DO THAT! WE AGREED YOU STUPID LITTLE GREEN BITCH BOY!”

Dream sighed in exasperation, acting as if his toddler were having his third tantrum of the day.

“Oh, but I can do that, Tommy. Hand over the disc” Dream whispered, eerily calm.

“I…” Tommy began.

Quackity stepped forward, “Just give him the stupid disc, man. I know it means a lot to you but we can always get another one”

“I- I can’t-”

Fundy went to the front of the group “Just hand em over dude! Don't be selfish!”

“I- guys! I can’t! These are my discs! You all know how much they mean to me! Dream, you know I can't give you this disc.”

Tubbo broke his silence

  
“Tommy are you serious?”

Tommy’s eyes widened “Tubbo, surely you understand? You know how hard we fought for these! The discs are the most important thing to us! We bled for these! C’mon Tubbo!”

“Tommy you're being completely irrational!”

The two devolved into a heated argument. Each statement has more passion and volume than the previous. 

No one noticed Dream’s growing smile from under his mask.

“S-so what? You’re just gonna exile me, over some plastic discs!?”

“Well- But, Tubbo, the  _ discs _ . What about the  _ disc- _ ”

“THE DISCS DONT MATTER, TOMMY!”

“THE DISCS, TUBBO! THE DISCS WERE WORTH MORE THAN YOU EVER WERE!”

Both boys flinched, equally surprised by the cruelty of the statement. The difference however, was that Tommy turned away from Tubbo, facing L’Manberg, “Tubbo, you are hereby exiled. Dream, escort Tubbo from my country. ”

Dream nods wordlessly. No one dares to speak.

Tubbo stood in shock, still processing. It felt like TNT just blew up near him. He could only hear ringing in his ears. It felt like he was in a dream. Like none of this was real. Though the cotton in his brain Tubbo could vaguely feel himself being pulled. After what felt like only a second Tubbo’s eyes rendered in the docks he built. Suddenly he was being pulled in two directions at once. Tubbo looked around in confusion, his gaze finally settling on the pale and semi-transparent figure directly behind him.

  
“Where you goin’ kid?” Glatt asks with a wide smile, curiosity genuine.

Tubbo wants to respond, he really does, but the cotton in his brain has spread to his tongue, making it impossible to speak.

Dream talks to Schlatt for him, “Ummm, Tubbo’s going away for a while, you joining him?”

  
  


Glatt gasps in excitement, he loudly whispers to Tubbo, “Tubbo! Are we finally gonna be landlords!?” Glatt’s happiness is a stark contrast to Tubbo’s melancholy. His entire world has just changed, he can’t handle Glatt’s oblivious glee right now.

Dream sets down a spruce boat in the water below. “Get in,” he says.

Without a second thought, Glatt jumps in the boat. Due to the force at which he jumped, the boat rocked violently for a few seconds, “Oooh! Gotta be careful!” Glatt looks around dramatically once again fails to whisper “Don't tell Dream, but I melt in water and snow, so I gotta be real careful”

Tubbo wordlessly nods, not paying Glatt much mind and carefully puts himself in the boat. Both of his hands on the oars next to him, preparing to row. “You might have to row for me, i'm not as strong as I used to be”

Ignoring Glatt, Tubbo speaks “Dream, I-I don't want to go somewhere else. I just wanna be at my home” 

Dream either didn't hear or didn’t care, “C’mon Tubbo, let's go. Start rowing” Tubbo’s hands are limp at his sides. Dream notices Tubbo’s hesitance, clearing his throat and taking out a sword the man says, “You only have one life left, right?” Dreams let the silent threat fill the air, and begins rowing, trusting his threat worked.

Tubbo follows, ignoring the ghost’s excited remarks. He turns around to get one last look at his home.

Finally arriving at a destination Dream sees fit, Glatt begins to make a dirt shack to protect them from the rain. 

Tubbo feels robotic. He feels like he’s merely watching this happen. It feels like he's a bystander. That is, until Dream demands something of Tubbo,

“Put your belongings in the hole.”

It takes a moment to register in Tubbo’s mind.

“...what?”

“Everything. Put all your stuff in the hole.”

“But I- Dream, this is all my stuff. You can’t just-just take it!”

Out of the corner of his eye Tubbo sees the glint of an enchanted netherite axe.

“Then i’ll just kill you. Put your stuff in the hole, Tubbo.” He says without emotion.

“I-I-I...okay...”

...

The blast of TNT is bright enough to burn the image of itself in Tubbo’s eyes.

…

  
  



	2. undertale reference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EXILE SPEEDRUN DUDUDUDU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so this chapter is a bit clunky, its just a transition chapter, so uhhh just know that all the big exile events happened to Tubbo instead. Ill be honest i wrote this in like 30 mins

Exile was slow, exile was alienating, and degrading, but above all exile was  _ boring _ .

By Tubbo’s estimate, it’s been about a week of his monotonous new lifestyle. Glatt was always wondering off so Tubbo was frequently alone. He got visitors here and there, as evidenced by the mini Christmas tree built by one of his guests, but lately they were becoming few and far between. Ranboo was sending him letters semi-regularly, but sometimes a couple of days would go by with radio silence. Tommy would never visit. However, one person remained consistent, Dream. An awful man, but it was nice to have some company. It made Tubbo dizzy with nausea when he accidentally got  _ happy _ when he saw Dream. Shame filled the pit in his stomach. Slapping the sides of his cheeks, Tubbo steeled himself as he hears the  _ whoosh _ of the nether portal being used. Dream steps out.

…

Dream has been such a good friend, he’s helping me throw a beach party where hopefully  Tommy the entire server will show up! Dream even let him keep his armor today! Maybe the exile was just tough love.

…

But Nobody Came. 

  
  


The lava pool below had never seemed more inviting.

…

Glatt’s gone. Ranboo stopped writing to me. Tommy never came. No one else cares.

I’m alone.

Well, that’s not true, Dream has been consoling me. It makes me feel a little better.

…

  
  


Up.

Up.

Up.

Up.

Block after block Tubbo pillared up.

He messed up. He messed up so bad. It was all his fault.

Why did he even have that secret room!? Dream was nothing but kind and Tubbo repays him with betrayal.

The crater that was once his tent is still smoking.

Higher.

Higher.

Until Tubbo can’t see the evidence of his wrong doings.

Higher.

Higher.

…

The sting of the water is prickly on Tubbo’s skin. Yet it doesn't hurt as much as the apparent betrayal from Dream. He was just here to watch him, wasn’t he? He...he was never Tubbo’s friend.

Tubbo had to leave. Now.

…

Tubbo couldn't feel any part of his body. He wasn’t built for the cold. Yet as he wanders aimlessly in the snow, no part of him wants to return to Dream. Even though he’s probably gonna die out here, it's better than staying in Logsted.

He can only pray for a village.

…

A house!  _ Finally! _ The warmth that blooms in his chest is nearly hot enough for Tubbo to feel his limbs again. To finally make the incessant involuntary chattering of teeth to stop. A smile that stretches across his face. He uses energy he didn't even know he had to run up to the door. It was a cozy cottage, he hopes he’s not intruding. But, he...he needs this.

Tubbo lets out a deep breath and his own breath smoke fills his vision. He raises his calloused knuckle and knocks on the door.

Tubbo’s shivering keeps him busy while he waits for a possible answer to the door.

_ Creak _

Movement! Hope fills his chest as he sees the door begin to open.

It's instantly replaced with regret.

Tubbo was meant to be faced with his savior, but instead, it's the man who blew up his nation. The man who was one of the traitors of Pogtopia. The man who took his  _ second precious canon life _ , Technoblade.

...


	3. very serious title for a very serious chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> local pig man looks at weird child for like 2000 words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i refuse to proof read. ooo yuh get it i guess

When Technoblade opened the door, he expected that there was about to be a round 2 with the so-called ‘butcher army’. When he heard the first knock on the door he grabbed the only weapons that were left unstolen by the government. The very last thing Techno was expecting to see was a boy from his distant past. A boy he had murdered. The guilt in his heart quickly retreated as he started thinking rationally, this boy was a threat. The piglin hybrid towers over the shaking boy. Pearly white tusks are stained with blood from his duel with Quackity. He narrowed his eyes to scan Tubbo for weaponry. Nothing.  _ Is Tubbo the backup? The decoy? Sent to make me feel guilt for my crimes? _ Tension crackled as Tubbo’s body shuddered from what looked to be a combination of fear and coldness, he clearly wasn’t going to initiate the fight nor would he speak first. After some deliberation, Technoblade decided to use his words for once. 

“What.” He gritted out, trying to sound as threatening as possible. By the state of Tubbo, it worked because his shaking intensified.

“I- I- I- um...I-I’m so cold” Tubbo’s voice was scratchy, like one’s voice after crying too hard or laughing too much.

This response made Techno irrationally angry, he was entitled to get some anger out after his past allies tried to execute him. “Tubbo I’m not playing these games.” He spat “I know you're with the government. I know you’re just going to kill me. I know Tommy and the rest of those idiots are here too” It was a logical conclusion after all, if you found Tubbo, Tommy was not far behind and vice versa. The two were attached at the hip.

Tubbo took a step back and looked as though he’d been struck.”I-I-I..um I” His eyes scanned the ground trying to find the right words to say. “I-um” Technoblade heard a gulp “I need a place to stay. Please.” Tubbo said finally.

Techno raised his eyebrows in surprise, and for the first time he actually  _ saw _ Tubbo. Not just glance at him, Techno really  _ saw _ Tubbo. He wore just one shoe that had snow covering most of it. His shirt and pants were both filled with holes, and the string from the cloth began to seep out in tiny strands. They were the kind where if you tried to pull them out, it would take the entire article of clothing with it. His hands were calloused and dirty, fingertips just shy of a ghostly white. Tiny cuts and bruises littered his face. There were dark circles under his once bright eyes, which were now a muted blue. But what caught Techno’s attention the most was his right cheek. The skin on the boy’s cheek was noticeably lighter than the rest of his face. It was as pale as a baby’s skin. It was like that because of Technoblade. Technoblade took a canon life and left a scar. He wasn’t guilty  _ per se,  _ it was just that Technoblade  _ owed _ Tubbo in a way, and that debt being left unpaid weighed heavy on his soul. But maybe it was a little bit of guilt that cause him to gruffly say, “Come on in” 

The boy clearly went through well,  _ something _ , so Techno wasn’t worried about being bested by him in combat.

Tubbo clearly expected a different answer because his eyebrows raised with shock and his eyes became glossy with unshed tears.  _ Not my problem _ . Letting Tubbo in, Technoblade stepped out of his house, gave a cursory glance for enemies, went back in the cottage and shut the door behind him. “Consider my debt to you repaid” He muttered

He then went back to what he was doing before the knock on the door, brewing potions. He carefully inserted the blaze powder in the brewing stand, careful to not overflow it. Next was the bottles. Walking past Tubbo who was awkwardly standing at the center of the room, he reached into chest and held six bottles in hand. _I have no water left_ _to fill the bottles bruhhh_. _I can just go to the pond_. Walking towards the door with slumped shoulders he glanced at the still shivering boy. “y’know...Edward is a nice guy. He don't bite...just- don't look ‘em in the eyes y’know, he’’s kinda weird like that” Techno glanced at Edward, silently trying to tell him to just behave and let Tubbo sit by the fire. Edward _vwooped_ in response. _cool. no idea what that means._ Tubbo gave him a half smile and slowly sat down, as if waiting for him to change his mind. Even when he was sat on the floor he still looked weirdly upset that Techno was leaving or something. _The heck happened to that guy?_ Looking away, Techno left the house and set off for the ocean a few hundred blocks away.

  
  


…

Techno’s quick trip to the ocean was quickly derailed when a villager he found was selling woodland mansion maps. He needed another totem to replace the one he used during his execution. It took him  _ FOREVER _ to get to the mansion, and by the time he got there he realized that this one had already been looted, burnt to the ground.Techno was understandably pissed so he found the village that sold him the map. Long story short he now has a villager which he has aptly named Orphan.  _ So it wasn’t a complete waste of three days I guess. Just glad to be home.  _

Trekking through the snow and past his horse, Techno finally made it back to his front door, the bottles now full of cold, cold water. Opening the door and putting down the bottles he looks around. The first thing he notices is Tubbo. He kind of forgot the kid was staying with him...for some reason...anyways, Tubbo was staring into the flame of the fireplace, deep in thought. The second thing he notices is the furnace, it was turned on.  _ Tubbo must’ve gone mining for iron... What if I just... YOINK! _ Techno snagged the recently smelted iron and quickly put it in his chest, then closed it with a loud creak. That must've snapped Tubbo out of his haze, because his eyes immediately lit up and a shaky smile spread across his face. “Y-you actually came back!” Tubbo near yelled. It was a complete 180 from his solemn attitude earlier. 

Techno raised an eyebrow “You are a strange individual. Anyways, I kinda stole some of your iron. That's mine now.”

Tubbo nodded gingerly “of course! Oh yeah! I almost forgot” Tubbo then pulled an iron pickaxe from his inventory and placed it on the ground. An iron sword. The boy then proceeded to stare up at Technoblade with hopeful eyes expectantly, like he was waiting for something...was-was he waiting for praise?

Techno looked around, trying to find anything to explain his behavior. He puts his hands up in surrender “I-I-I i don't want your stuff man...you can take your iron back, i was only joking...well...kinda.” 

“Oh! Uhhh sorry about that, heh”

Techno turned away to finally start brewing and only gave a grunt in response.  _ That was uncomfortable _ . He cleared his throat, signaling the end of their ‘conversation’ and opened a chest to find nether wart and a ghast tear.  _ Got everything I neeeed _ . He placed the nether wart in and lit a match under the stand to start the process.

Tubbo got that look in his eye again. Another full 180.  _ What happened to him? _ Techno doesn’t know Tubbo too well. Phil might’ve mentioned Tubbo’s name during one of those freezing nights in the Antarctic. Uhhh...They were allies during Schlatt’s reign...that's pretty much it. Even when they were both in Pogtopia they didn't necessarily  _ avoid _ each other, they just never had a reason to speak. Despite that, Techno knew that this wasn’t typical Tubbo behavior. He felt for the kid. 

Techno took a seat opposite Tubbo around the fire. “So uhhh. Why aren’t you tryna kill me. Your  _ president”  _ he said with bite “-has a hit on me” 

Tubbo then mumbled something unintelligible.

“Heh? What’d you say?”

Tubbo sighs “...got exiled”

Silence fills the air. Tensions rose and crackled in the air like fireworks.

  
  
  


“BAHAHAHAHAHA” Technoblade suddenly starts laughing so hard he nearly broke the potions he was brewing. Tubbo shrinked back, not liking this reaction at all. “Oh man…” Techno wipes a fake dramatic tear from his eye 

“That's not funny” Tubbo spoke

“No. It is. The country that you actually died for  _ twice _ kicked you out. If that's not funny i don't know what is”

Tubbo had no rebuttal, he just sat back down, staring into the fire and somehow looked even more depressed than before. It was lame makin’ fun of someone who can't do it back. Techno composed himself and began to think about the information Tubbo just gave him. _ L’Manberg clearly was weak with infighting. It would be a good idea to start planning his attack soon, before they compose themselves. And as for Tubbo _ ...Techno’s eyes shifted to glance at the boy.  _ Maybe I told the tale of Theseus to the wrong person… _

Techno sputters a bit while trying to put his thoughts into cohesive sentences. “Hey man, I didn't mean that you getting exiled was funny, it was more ironic. Cuz I kinda like foreshadowed it with my Theseus speech.”

Tubbo turned to face Techno in confusion “Who?”

Techno’s eye twitched. “y’know...the guy from my cool speech”

Tubbo looked at the ceiling, searching his memories “You made a speech?”  _ bruhhhhh _

Technoblade slapped a palm to his face “bro, what is the point of saying cool things if no one remembers them. This sucks.”

Nursing his still frostbitten fingers Tubbo rebuked, “I think the speech was a bit overshadowed by, yknow, my hom- my old home being blown up by the guy who was meant to save us” it with a bit of bite in his voice and thinly veiled frustration.

The piglin had no reply. He could give no reason for his actions that Tubbo would understand. He just let out a noncommittal noise. Shrugging off the conversation, he walked across the room to where the awkward potions were hanging. Techno placed a ghast tear into the brewing stand. He tapped his foot against the squeaky spruce wood until the awkward potion finally turned pink.Picking up two bottles he walked towards Tubbo. Not saying a word he held one of the pink potions out for Tubbo to take. Shock was evident in the kid’s eyes “...thanks” he said gratefully. The potion opened with a  _ pop _ and Tubbo began to down the potion. His fingertips already returning to their natural pale color. Techno followed suit, wanting to heal his minor wounds he never got around to healing normally. Silence filled the air

“This is a bit awkwar-” Techno started, only to be cut off by Tubbo

“Tommy exiled me, yknow” 

The blood god let out a noise of agreement “yup, you told me. What’d you even do anyways”

Tubbo chuckled with no humor in his voice “Dream plus science experiment gone wrong equal bad...but that wasn't why...Tommy exiled me because of his  _ discs _ ” He hissed.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I know. Then the dickhead he didn't even visit me in exile. At least Dream did. Even though he was the driving force as to why I was exiled, he came to be my friend every day. It was really really hard being alone, but when Dream showed up it was a bit easier. Sometimes he gave me stuff, those were the best days. He was a good friend er-wait-no he-he-he  _ wasn’t _ my friend. He was evil...I think. Maybe. I'm all confused.”

Technoblade blinked, deep in thought. Then he finally spoke “I understood like not even half of that...but if you want you can stay in my house for a while if you need..”  _ WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?  _ “It would be nice to get an extra set of hands to do things”  _ NOOOOOO YOU IDIOT _ . 

Tubbo smiled, a real smile, the first one he saw since the boy showed up. “Thank you, Technoblade”

Internally fighting with himself, and by extension Chat, Techno realized something. He thought back on his time in Pogtopia, he remembers that Tubbo was competent. He was a competent spy, redstone engineer, and had endless patience. On top of that, He seems pissed at Tommy, has a lot of internalized anger, and must see the flaw of government, right? 

Tubbo could help him destroy L’Manberg.

  
  
  



	4. Lion King 1 1/2 AKA Chapter 3.5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THIS CHAPTER IS SKIPPABLE!!!
> 
> TLDR: Ghostbur and Glatt show up at the house, We find out Glatt was sent away by Dream by the promise of alcohol, explaining why Glatt didnt deliver invites and why he didn't come back. Idk just a funky chapter that was on the brain

Techno and Tubbo were relaxing in the basement when the two heard a very soft voice say “...hello?” followed by a knock on the door. Tubbo hovered his hand over his iron axe, ready to defend himself in case it was _ him _ , but surprisingly Technoblade didn't do the same, and instead just started to climb upstairs to get the door. Tubbo does not follow,

“Relaaaaxxx, it’s just Ghostbur.” Techno said neutrally. Finally reaching the top floor, Techno opened the door “Oh-”

“G L A T T” A visibly drunk apparition suddenly cried. The ghost of the once president hung lazily off of Ghostbur’s arm, the only thing keeping him upright. 

The soft spoken ghost started to speak “Hi Technoblade!! “ Ghostbur removed his hand from Glatt and instead waved frantically. Glatt slumped to the floor with a  _ thud _ and a quiet groan “How are you Techno!!” 

“Errr what’s with your friend over there...” Techno trailed off.

Ghostbur looked genuinely confused “...who?”

Techno said nothing and opted to point at the ghost who was laying face first on the ground repeating his own name.

Recognition lit up Ghostbur’s eyes “Oh! Glatt! I found him!”

“you...found him” he deadpanned

“Mhm!”

He sighed, resigned to his fate “...alright. Come inside, I guess”

“Okay!” Ghostbur skipped inside the house. 

Glatt peeled himself off the ground with visibly much effort “OkAy!” Glatt impersonated Ghostbur.

“I have great news! I made a new friend! Technoblade” Ghostbur then gestured to Glatt “meet friend” he then smiled brightly. A quiet “GLATT” could be heard.  _ Still an idiot I see. _

“Ghostbur, I hate to break it to you, but that’s Glatt.” 

“Hm?” Ghostbur turned to look at ‘Friend’ “Oh. I forgot. I left Friend in L’Manberg with Phil”  _...not my problem _ .

“K.”

“...Hi Technoblade! What are you up to?”  _ yeah, i'm already sick of this memory thing _

“Oh, uh I was just downstairs making a list of things to do, y’know how I am” Techno shrugged.

The ghost gasped dramatically and immediately turned heel towards the ladder, Glatt following close behind. “Oooh! I wanna see!”

“Mmmm nahhh” Technoblade rushed to stop the two from going down the ladder, but it was too late. Tubbo was vulnerable enough as is, but add two careless ghosts on top of that, its a recipe for disaster. Techno just hoped Tubbo had the initiative to hide.

“Oh hello!” a high pitched ghost said. _ OH GOD THEY FOUND HIM! _ Techno thought dramatically  _ NEXT THING YA KNOW DREAM’S GONNA SHOW UP OH GOD. MY LIFE IS RUINED. _

“Moo”  _...oh, it was just the stupid cow _ .

Pausing his theatrics, Techno carefully climbed down the ladder and watched Ghostbur like a hawk as he examined the signs. Techno’s eyes zoned in on the apparition, if he saw Tubbo, would he even remember to tell anyone. Would anyone even care? Deep in thought Techno was oblivious to his surroundings, so it made him flinch when the silence was broken by a- 

“GLATT”

Clearly he wasn’t the only one shocked by the sudden outburst, because a muted scream could be heard from under the floorboards.  _ Uh oh _ . 

  
“Dude. Was that your landlord? Did you forget to pay ‘em?” Glatt said, suddenly sober sounding and looking.

“Uhhhh” Techno glanced over to the trapdoor that led to Tubbo’s room. It began to slowly, slowly, open with a  _ creek _ . Only Tubbo’s eyes could be seen. Technoblade expected Tubbo to be staring straight at him, pleading for help, but instead...he...wasn't. It was like he was staring straight through the Blade and instead focused his gaze on the ex-president.It looked like Tubbo was  _ happy  _ to see the ghost.  _ Heh? Didn't that guy execute him...well technically I did but... _

The trapdoor flung open as Tubbo hopped out as fast as humanly possible “Glatt!”

  
“AYYY Tubbo!”

“Where the hell did you go man, w-” A shadow crossed over the boy’s face “why didn’t you deliver my party invites? Why didn't you come back?”

“Oh sorry about that man, Dream told me there was ghost booze somewhere in the forest. Got lost though. You know how it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> dunno. was gonna scrap the entire chapter then i was like "why not make a one off type thing". Sorry if things dont make sense, it was originally part of a bigger plot.


	5. Gangnam Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> super lazy writing. I love lazy writing. mmmmm lazy writing.....mmmmm

Tubbo settled into Technos house quite nicely. It’d been maybe two weeks yet he already had his own room in the basement, Techno gifted him new fancy lookin’ pale blue clothes. On top of that, Phil told him tales of his past adventures whenever Tubbo could work up the courage to ask. Oh yeah, Phil lived with them now too. He escaped house arrest, which he was under... apparently.

  
  


The both of them helped Tubbo with his...um... _ stuff _ ...Phil said it was nothing to be ashamed of, but the humiliation and shame that settled in his stomach when Techno had to wake him awake from a nightmare never seemed to go away. He felt embarrassed because he sometimes went back to his isolation state of mind. Techno and Phil were adventurers at heart, it was inevitable that they would go out on excursions. Most of the time it was fine, but sometimes...sometimes Techno and Phil would come back to an overly nice and appeasing Tubbo, desperate for validation and company.

Techno and Phil-mainly Phil-had to remind him that they’d always come back and that Dream was not a friend; that he deserved to be treated better.

  
  


Tubbo always found it hard to look them in the eyes after, and instead opted for holing himself in his room, and try to not think about how a small part of him still wanted to see Dream.

...

Tubbo was making a list of things to keep himself busy, to distract him. Tubbo wrote the signs and Techno gave suggestions. In hindsight, it should’ve been the other way around evidenced by his latest sign, ‘explore oshan’ (that's a surprise tool that’ll help us later). He couldn't be idle, when he was idle, he thought about dream. He needed to focus on distracting himself from the unscratchable itch that told him to see Dream. 

“Your mopin’ is really makin’ me bummed out. This was supposed to be fun, man” Techno said helpfully, lying on a wooden crate.

“ ‘m sorry…” a small voice spoke

“Nahhh it's fineeee. You kinda holed yourself up in the house so I don't really blame ya for bein’ all sad or whatever” The piglin said passively, waving a hand to show Tubbo that he didn't really care. “Uhh you don’t have to but i'm goin’ to try and find a totem of undyin, ‘n Phil is busy. you want in?”

Tubbo thought for a moment. Dream was still out there. Dream could take him back to exile... _ but can't Dream take me from here too? I don't want to be alone anymore. I'm tired of being useless _ . Tubbo finally acknowledged the offer by making a hum of agreement. “I think im ready”

…

After some time Tubbo and Technoblade became surprisingly close. The blood god liked Tubbo’s competency and Tubbo liked Techno’s companionship. After some coaxing from the older, Tubbo accompanied Techno in quests to L’manberg. With invisibility they snuck around the country with the goal of getting Techno’s stolen items back. 

The trips made Tubbo feel strong, useful,  _ independent _ , unlike the weak state he was in months prior. Even though he pointedly avoided plains biomes, he felt as though he overcame his exile in a way.

  
  
  


“Woo!” Tubbo called out, running along the bridge in the nether.

“Heh heh, did you see that idiot’s face when I knocked over the water? Priceless.” Techno chuckled, surprisingly monotonous.

“That was so awesome! Fundy was so confused!”

“Mmm...yep, that's what I just said”

  
  


Technoblade I have so much energy right now!” Tubbo bounced on the balls of his feet then gasped “we should go look for more of your gear! Today’s was so eaassyyy it was just lying around” 

“No.”

Tubbo groaned dramatically but continued excitedly walking towards the portal to go home.

Techno slowly followed, newly regained trident in hand.

…

Phil left out an hour ago in pursuit of getting rabbit’s feet so they could make stew. To thank him, Tubbo and Techno were reorganizing their chests, something Phil complained about every day. It came with its challenges though,

“Techno, cobble should go in the ‘earth materials’ chest,'' Tubbo muttered, noticing the other’s mistake.

“Bro. Cobble literally belongs in the ‘building materials’ chest. Don't be a fool.” Techno snapped back

“What the hell! It totally isn’t a ‘ _ building material’” _ He said in a faux deep voice.

“That's just untrue. It's definitely building material.”

“Nope. You’re wrong.”

“Bruhh. Fine, if it's not a building material, then what do you call the things Tommy’s tower are..made...offff…” Techno trailed off, noticing his mistake only too late. Tubbo said nothing but his bones seemed to lock up. Putting on a neutral face, Tubbo continued sifting through the messy chest. Tommy and the rest of L’Manberg in fact, was still a subject Tubbo refused to talk about unless he was having an especially difficult time. Phil always tried to coax the words out but Tubbo never budged. He always initiated those conversations.

  
  


“It's fine, Technoblade.” The ex-L’Manbergian said, expressionless

“No, Tubbo. I-I’m sorry. Not to get all  _ sappy _ or anythin’ I should’ve been more careful.” He said, swallowing his pride. The blood god knew firsthand how much Tubbo’s recent past affected him.

Tubbo locked eyes with his elder. Silence was the only thing that could be heard. Then laughter. 

“HEH?” Techno exclaimed, incredulous that Tubbo laughed at his one attempt to be emotional.

“Nonono- it's nothing. It's just so weird seeing you apologize so sincerely. It's nice” the boy finished, a calm smile on his face. It wouldn’t stay for long however,

_ SLAM _

That was the door.

A disheveled, sweaty, and panicked Philza was the one who slammed the door open.

“Dream” Philza panted “Dream’s coming. Saw him from afar.” He finished

All parties took a second to digest and process the bombshell just dropped on them. Tubbo was the first to speak.

“Oh Dream! Should I say Hi to him?” Tubbo smiled innocently.

Even with their panic, Techno and Phil managed to look horrified. had the “Tubbo, no. Dream is not your friend. We’ll talk about this later. Now  _ hide _ you fool. Phil. You leave, you gotta be safe.” Techno gritted out.

Glancing around the room to look for a Tubbo-sized hiding spot, Tubbo landed on a wooden box he thought he could squeeze in. So, he stuffed himself in and shut the lid on the top. Luckily, he could still see through a broken plank, it was like a peephole.

“Tubbo, I'm gonna need you to be quiet if you want me to protect you from Dream.” Techno said, abrasively.

Tubbo, mixed feelings be damned, nodded.

...

“Why are you standing outside my house? Go away.” Techno remarked, holding eye contact with the dude standing right outside his door.

“Well, It's just been a while. Thought we could uhh...catch up.” The masked madman said with a happy lilt in his voice. Techno could see right through it.He was not shivering despite standing in the cold, unsurprising for the cold blooded bastard. Nevertheless, Dream invited himself in and gave his house a once over. Techno could only hope Tubbo wasn’t going to be a moron.

“You know I love the clout that you bring, but why are you  _ actually _ here. I-I-I I mean you said it yourself, you're not pretendin’ to be my friend. We only have mutual interests, team chaos and all that.” Technoblade ensured to keep Tubbo’s box in his view at all times as his gaze followed Dream as he walked around.

Dream abruptly stopped exploring and his posture seemed marginally surprised for a second. He let out an amused huff of air and a dry laugh. Techno’s ear flicked in discomfort. 

“You know me too well” Dream muttered. “Welp. I'll tell you the real reason i'm here.”

A pregnant pause filled the space between them

“Tubbo...left.”  _ oh god. Play dumb _ .

“Who’s Tubbo?”  _ NOT THAT DUMB! _ “Oh Tubbo! I remember that guy. Got exiled, I heard. That's pretty funny,”

Dream pays Technoblade no mind and continues on, “Yeah, but now...he's missing. L’Manberg...L’Manberg doesn’t really  _ care _ that he’s missing. But I need to know where he is.”

“...Alright... what does this have to do with m-” Techno was quickly cut off by Dream

“Have you seen him?” It was less of a question and more of a demand. It made him uncomfortable how the mask was unblinking, unwavering. Techno subtly glances over to the barrel which holds the boy of the hour, eyes narrowing. Techno’s debt has been repaid, he doesn't need to get  _ himself _ in trouble, right? He’s no longer obligated to house a fugitive, right?

...right?

“I-...No. I haven't seen him” Techno finished confidently. His heartbeat is more noticeable than it was before

The admin’s head leaned back and gave the other a suspicious glance. Dream said it himself, he wasn't a moron. The man was known for being able to read and manipulate people. It was his forte, so Techno’s sure he noticed the hesitance, “You sure? Mind if I look around then?”

“Uh alright…” Techno follows the other as he immediately heads towards the downstairs. “Uhhh here’s my villages, here’s my art, here’s my potions, here’s my to do list”

Dream stares at the to-do list wall for a quick moment “...collect rabbit foot...” Dream read, “...steal stuff from L’Manberg, oooo I like it.Oh, by the way, You down to terrorise in L’Manberg in a few weeks by the way?” He said casually 

“Is this your favor?” 

“Wh- _ no.  _ oh, come on now,” Dream playfully punches Technoblade on the arm “I know for a  _ fact _ you’d do it with or without me”

Techno laughs “You know me too well, Dream.We’ll discuss details later. I need to get back to collecting rabbit feet.”

Dream’s humorous aura dissipates into static “...explore ‘oshan’...and it's spelled wrong.”

_ He's onto us. Be smart about this, Techno. _ “It's a hard word to spell!” 

The humorous Dream Technoblade grew to appreciate comes back “Wuh-NO! YOU USED TO STUDY ENGLISH”

“YEAH WELL, I DROPPED OUT CUZ STABBIN’ NERDS AND ANARCHY WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD THE INTELLECTUAL CAPACITY FOR” Techno banters back.

Dream laughs. “Alright, alright. I'm just glad you’re alive and well y’know. If you see Tubbo, please just...let me know.”

“Mmmmmk. Try not to come into my house uninvited again. You don't see me coming to your house and judging your spelling- wait. Do you even have a house?”

“W- TECHNO. I HAVE A HOUSE!”

…

Techno watched Dream disappear over the horizon, ensuring that he was gone. Techno hollered “You can come out now” 

Nothing.

“Tubbo?” No response.Techno huffed in mild concern.“Bro. I need to use that barrel”. No response. He points to the barrel that held the kid. “Tubbo I'm opening this”  _ oh god is he crying. Phil isn't around. I can't deal with crying people. ugh _

Techno then opened the top of the barrel expecting to see a crying, sniveling, Tubbo. When he looked, he saw the kid wasn’t crying. Tubbo looked sad, confused, distraught. No, the kid looked downright  _ pissed. _ His fists were white with how hard he balled his hands into fists.. Tubbo muttered quietly to himself, “L’Manberg doesn't care about me anymore, huh?” Tubbo looked up at Techno and stood up. His posture held more conviction than Techno’s ever seen on the kid. Then the boy said something Techno would’ve never expected.

Tubbo didn't even fidget with the tassel of his Antarctic Empire cape. He looked Techno dead in the eyes when he said,“Is your offer about me helping destroy L’Manberg still on the table?”

Techno’s mouth stretched into a wide grin, his two boarlike tusks shone. “Tubbo, I thought you’d never ask

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AYO!!! YALL ROCKIN WITH MINOR TERRORISM!?


End file.
